movewithME
Move with your body, lead with your heart.
Supporting parents, coaches and trainers with simple tools to feel more steady, connected and confident in real life with real young people.
My Story
I’m Juanita, a coach, trainer and facilitator with more than 20 years working alongside young people and the adults who support them. My work has always been grounded in steady presence, cultural awareness and practical tools that help people feel more connected to themselves and each other.
I grew up in a Samoan family where faith, service and caring for others were woven into everyday life. My parents taught me to lead with respect, humility and strength, and those values still guide how I show up. Being raised in Aotearoa also meant being surrounded by Māori culture, and over the years I learned and embraced the values of whanaungatanga, manaakitanga and wairua. These influences shape the way I hold space with warmth, steadiness and cultural grounding, while my whakapapa remains Samoan.
Growing up in communities where young people often carried more than they could name taught me the importance of presence, patience and relational support. My years in youth justice, along with walking alongside families through grief, dementia and caregiving, continue to shape the way I listen, lead and support others.
Movement and physical training have also been a big part of my life. Working in fitness and coaching taught me how the body holds stress, how it releases it and how simple physical practices can help people feel more balanced and steadier. That understanding sits at the heart of how I care for people and how I hold space. It’s why I support parents, coaches and trainers with simple movement and breathing tools that fit into real life, not perfect moments.
My story is shaped by culture, community, movement and the belief that people are not broken. They just need spaces where they can reconnect with themselves and feel supported.
If you’d like to connect, you can get in touch.
My Approach
My approach is steady, relational and grounded in the belief that people feel safer and more connected when their body is supported first. I work with simple tools that help the nervous system settle so people can think clearly, move with intention and show up in ways that feel true to them.
I combine movement, breath and nervous system education with cultural grounding and relational support. This means we work with the body, not against it. We slow things down. We notice what is happening inside. We use short, doable practices that fit into real life, not perfect moments.
My background in fitness and physical training taught me how the body holds stress and how movement can help release it. My years in youth justice and community spaces taught me the importance of presence, patience and connection. Together, these shape the way I hold space: calm, steady, practical and human.
I don’t rush people. I don’t push for performance. I support people to reconnect with themselves, build awareness and create small shifts that lead to real change.
If you want to explore this work, you can get in touch.
Our Values
Connection
People and relationships come first. We honour identity, belonging and the stories people carry.
Safety
Emotional, cultural and physical safety guide every choice. Consent and agency matter in every room.
Presence
Leadership begins with how we show up, how we breathe and how we listen.
Respect
We meet people where they are, without judgement or pressure.
Simplicity
The most powerful tools are often the simplest. We keep things clear, gentle and real.
Integrity
We do what we say, and we hold space with care, honesty and responsibility.
Why movewithME Exists
movewithME was created after years of watching people carry more than their bodies were ever meant to hold. Stress, shame, cultural expectations, survival patterns and the quiet exhaustion that comes from always being the strong one. I wanted to build a space where people could move in ways that feel safe, human and possible, without pressure to perform or pretend.
This work is shaped by my lived experience, my Pacific grounding, my years in youth justice and my time supporting communities through movement, breath and relational safety. I’ve seen what happens when people finally feel seen. Their bodies soften. Their breath returns. Their sense of self begins to rebuild.
movewithME exists to offer that kind of space. Steady, culturally aware, trauma‑informed and deeply respectful of the whole person standing in front of me.
What You Can Expect
When you step into a session with me, you’re stepping into a space where your pace matters. You won’t be pushed past your capacity, and you won’t be asked to share anything you don’t want to. We move in ways that support your nervous system, not overwhelm it.
My approach is relational. I pay attention to what your body is saying, not just what the exercise asks for. We move with curiosity, not criticism. We build strength that feels lived‑in, not forced. And we honour culture, identity and personal history as part of the work, because they shape how each person arrives in the room.
You can expect steadiness, clear guidance and practices that fit into real life. You’ll be supported to reconnect with your body, your breath and your sense of self - at a pace that feels right for you.
If you’d like to explore this work, you can get in touch.
The Heart of My Work
At its core, movewithME is about returning people to themselves. To their breath, their body, their boundaries, their confidence and their sense of belonging. This isn’t fitness for the sake of fitness. It’s movement as a pathway back to safety, agency and self‑trust.
It’s breathwork that helps you regulate, reset and reconnect. It’s coaching that honours your story, your culture and your sovereignty. It’s space that allows your body to soften, your breath to return and your sense of self to rebuild at your own pace.
This is the work I’m called to do, and I’m honoured every time someone chooses to step into it with me.
If you’d like to explore this work, you can get in touch.